Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

The Body Papers by Grace Talusan

12 reviews

siriface's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Rape, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Racism, and Body shaming

keanusmom's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Pedophilia, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Sexual assault

xmacabre's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.0

For the people who are scoring this low, you’re probably not who this book is intended for. This memoir was very validating for not only me but many other people in the Filipino diaspora community. Yes, it was a hard read when it came to the abuse but that is the reality of it. Life doesn’t have a happy ending most of the time and you have to play with the cards you’re dealt with. It’s REAL, it’s RAW. If you wanted a lighthearted book it isn’t this. Nonetheless, it’s an essential read for those who need it. She wrote this and it really resonated with similar thoughts going through my head. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Rape, and Cancer

fbzcab's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Pedophilia, and Rape

Moderate: Mental illness

Minor: Deportation

whatchareadingheather's review

challenging emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

 

"I'm here to learn what it means to be Filipino, but somehow I've only become more American" 

 

Reading this really makes me appreciate the fact that my parents (a mixed-race marriage btw) and my grandmother chose to raise me differently than what is traditional Filipino values. This book was equal parts frustrating (the unacceptable bluntness/rudeness, the acceptance of misogyny with AAPI men, general racism, etc.) and reflective (a look into the country’s somewhat Caste-like system due to skin tone,  the blessing and curse of being a ‘model minority,’ discussing the tomfoolery that is the American Immigration System, etc.) with parts that really hit close to home in terms of my experience growing up (mainly toxic extended family dynamics). I think anyone who is of Filipino descent should read this book, especially if you are trying to unlearn the hurtful behavior that’s passed down generation to generation. If anything, this book reassured me that my stance against the ‘Blood Is Thicker Than Water’ mentality is completely valid. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Rape, and Incest

Moderate: Medical content, Racism, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Sexism, Body shaming, Bullying, Emotional abuse, and Misogyny

madisonfrank's review

emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Classism, Incest, Child abuse, Colonisation, Medical content, Physical abuse, Chronic illness, Mental illness, Cancer, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Pedophilia, Infertility, Police brutality, Racism, and Rape

lynns_lovely_library's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

4.0

This book was extremely heartfelt but a very difficult read. It brings to light many problems in our society and though not a fun read a very important one. It's good to know that people can recover from trauma. I did think the pace was quite slow and sometimes I felt like things were overexploited, but overall it was a good book. I've never seen a style of writing like it before. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Incest, Child abuse, and Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Grief, Infertility, Rape, Cancer, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts

emmehooks's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Grief, Police brutality, Pedophilia, Xenophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Cancer, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Colonisation, Blood, Self harm, Child death, Deportation, and Genocide

Minor: Abortion, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Pregnancy

janzyface's review

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Cancer, Medical trauma, and Adult/minor relationship

jayisreading's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

4.5

This was such a heartbreaking but beautifully written memoir in which Talusan shares her experiences of moving to the United States from the Philippines, being sexually abused by her grandfather, dealing with cancer as an adult, handling family secrets, and more. Talusan discussed her pain and trauma with such openness and delivered it honestly and with the intent to reflect. While deeply personal, there are emotional aspects of this book that I think would reach a lot of people (for example, the family dynamics that come with being an immigrant/child of immigrant parents). Feelings are complex, especially when trauma is involved, and Talusan navigated this so well.

This is by no means an easy book to get through (and really take into consideration the content warning), but it was poignantly written with much to think about.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Incest, Grief, Child abuse, Cancer, and Racism

Moderate: Death